Last year I compiled a booklet called TAMING YOUR TIGER, using various inputs (incuding wisdom shared on this site), which my South African counterparts (who were also new to the game) found quite useful. The Tiger class has tripled in size in SA because of the upcoming worlds.

I've never understood how it's possible to have one's wife crew for one, but if that's what you're able to do, then the crew guidelines should really help her... and make it clear that if ANYTHING goes wrong its the crew's fault. (Perhaps that's why I can't sail with my wife...)

Regards
William

Last edited by William Kieser on Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

Thank you very much for all the effort! I have sent you an email with a couple of ideas.

I will have it also linked from the NAF18 site when complete.

Eileen and I have been together for over 12 years and love to sail together. It all depends on attitude. There are occasional rough times on the water which have to be let go when you hit the beach or the dock or the start of the next race or the next tack or the next puff (best).

I have found that information very usefull to get started. From a post on this forum however we learned that the boat handles better with more wind if we use much more mast rake (first rudder gudgeon) in our case (155 kg).

This guide is much more helpful than the tuning guide Hobie currently uses. The only thing you lost me on was the cranking down on the downhaul for light winds. Is this true? I thought it was the complete opposite...

This guide is much more helpful than the tuning guide Hobie currently uses. The only thing you lost me on was the cranking down on the downhaul for light winds. Is this true? I thought it was the complete opposite...

Its true. The issue is the top of the main hooking to weather in the light stuff. You have to release sheet tension so it does not hook and the leach tales up there stay happy. Putting some downhaul on opens up the top and allows you to pull a little more sheet in.

It is certainly faster!

Plus the downhaul makes popping the battens easier when tacking. We also crank it on for gybes in the light stuff.

As this guide says, once you are on the verge of flying a hull and single trapping then let the downhaul off. At this point there is enough pressure up top to stop the main hooking with a reasonable amount of sheet tension, and you want the extra power to get the hull up and reduce wetted area.

William
Thank you for these tips. I've read this thread about 5 times now and made alot of progress this weekend on my tiger. Its only the 6 th time i've sailed it but some of the black magik of spin sailing makes sence now. The tuning and setting guides as well as the adjustment break downs made my boat actually perform, and i got to run the chute for a couple runs with a hull up, and under control. Wow
Thank You
Also everyone who posted it makes my new boat more fun less intimidating.

William, Thank you very much. Rigging my new Tiger for the first time today so this is bound to save me a lot of time and mistakes. Thank you for taking the time to gather the info in one, helpful guide.